UD Environment

Mathematical and Biological Sciences

The Department of Mathematical Sciences has more than 40 faculty engaged in research and teaching at all levels. The faculty is accessible and dedicated to both research and teaching, presenting unique opportunities for growth in a major research university. Students are encouraged to engage in research, and to have a strong general education, thus creating a unity with their peers, their professors, and the rest of society. Ample opportunity is available to work with talented researchers, and to learn through inquiry. Most math classes taken by math majors are small, not exceeding 30 students. Some sections of some courses are dedicated to majors, thus giving them the opportunity to get to know their peers and to develop esprit de corps.

The Department has excellent facilities, and offers numerous opportunities for undergraduate research. Among the departmental facilities are the MEC Lab (MEC stands for Modeling, Experiment, and Computation), the computer classrooms, and the Undergraduate Lounge. Students learn software widely used in math, science and engineering (such as Maple and Matlab) as part of their course instruction in our computer classrooms. They can also use the MEC Lab to do experiments related to course work and to undergraduate research projects.

Math majors have done very well in several competitions such as the Putnam Competition, the Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), and the SIAM 100-Dollar, 100-Digit Challenge. The Department has several awards and scholarships. Among these is the Rees Scholarship - a competitive scholarship awarded to sophomore and junior students, with the possibility for renewal, subject to satisfactory performance. Students who may not qualify for a merit scholarship as freshmen, may qualify later for the Rees Scholarship. This gives them an opportunity to improve, and to prove their academic dedication and abilities, thus being recognized in this manner.

The Department of Biological Sciences has 38 faculty engaged in teaching and research. Located in state-of-the-art laboratories in Wolf Hall and McKinly Laboratory, the Department is home to many vibrant, well funded research programs. Several department faculty are associated with the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, a joint effort between the University of Delaware and area biotechnology industries. The interests of the faculty cover a wide range of areas allowing considerable diversity in course offerings as well as areas of research. Under the People section you may read about the current research and teaching interests of the faculty and obtain references to recent publications.

The Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry/Biochemistry have been awarded several grants in support of undergraduate research. One is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant for Undergraduate Education. Another is a prestigious Beckman Scholars Program, which funds students to become intensely involved in undergraduate research for two summers and one academic year. Finally summer fellowships are also available for doing translational cancer research. Students working at the interface of mathematics and biology or chemistry are encouraged to apply for these awards. Students funded by these mechanisms are also expected to present their research results at national meetings and to publish.

Students in Quantitative Biology are co-advised by two faculty, one in each department. Undergraduate research for majors is also done under the supervision of researchers in both areas, thus providing hands-on experience in interdisciplinary research.